Choose a healthcare topic that interests you. It can be any topic of your choice but must be related to healthcare or the healthcare professions. During this course, you will be researching this topic and writing a formal paper about it. For this week’s discussion, we will do step 1: Pick and state your topic. Then explain why you have chosen it and how it relates to healthcare. Your discussion board posting should reflect the correct tone for academic threads.

DQ1 UMBO –4. >>> those are accreditation codes to link the discussion with the program learning outcomes; No need to do anything with those. 
DQ1 PLG –2
DQ1 CLO –2

The intro post is not mandatory; it is an opportunity to get to know your classmates. 🙂

This week’s assignment is due next Monday, April 5th and it has two parts; make sure to submit both

Part 1

Part 1: An important behavior of successful students pertains to establishing a weekly study schedule. This may sound overly elementary, but, to the contrary, high-performing college students know exactly every hour of their day/week and how they will use their time. As part of this week’s assignment, please complete the attached ‘study calendar’ and describe how you will use it in a Word document to prepare for this and next week’s assignments. That is, what exactly will you do tomorrow, this weekend, next Monday to breakdown your work into manageable pieces at the right pace? What are your most ideal times in the upcoming week, based on your calendar template, when will you have blocks of extended time to work on your Aspen courses and weekly assignments? It is best to make those days/times “significant and protected time,” time when there are no interruptions, and you can totally focus on getting your schoolwork done. Hold preciously to these time blocks for school work. If so, you will produce higher quality work and be less stressed as you earn your degree at Aspen. Utilize the Study Calendar found in the Writing Center for this process. Click the calendar link here to download

Part 2

Part 2: To work on narrowing down your topic chosen in the discussion board, choose an invention strategy (clustering, listing, freewriting, or outlining) to brainstorm the subject you narrowed down. Complete the Invention Strategy you choose and attach your strategy work either in the same document of part 1 or submit it as a separate file

• Conclusion paragraph: Answer these questions in a well-developed paragraph discussion. Which strategy did you choose, and why? How did the strategy work for you? Will you use it again in the future? (place into the Part 1 document labeled Part 2).

Assignment Expectations

Length: Part 1 can be a list or a paragraph; Part 2 is the invention strategy work and conclusion paragraph answering the questions

Structure: Place all parts in one document if possible clearly marking them to show which part is being addressed; a copy of invention strategy work can be uploaded as a separate picture/document or placed in the same document as a picture or list

References: N/A

Please place all assignments into one paper.  The different questions should be clearly marked, so your professor knows which question you are addressing. Your paper should be two pages or less

Three top healthcare issues with room for improvement in Rockford, Illinois, are opioid abuse, high blood pressure, and obesity (NYU Langone Health, 2021). Obesity is a significant contributor to multiple chronic diseases and metabolic disorders (Jakobsen et al., 2018). Chronic diseases accounted for most US healthcare costs and decreased productivity (Chapel et al., 2017). Global Burden of Disease researchers (Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, 2021) acknowledge that these diseases increase societal costs, morbidity, and mortality by limiting healthy days lived.

     Several national initiatives are underway that have a local impact on this burden of disease. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) endorses using Medication-Assisted Therapy (MAT) to mitigate opioid abuse and the societal effects of chronic substance abuse (SAMHSA, 2020). The American Heart Association provides a comprehensive public health education program on steps to control high blood pressure to reduce heart disease and strokes (American Heart Association, 2021). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2021) offers multiple interventions to reduce obesity in the Healthy People 2030 goals outlined by the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity.

     Concerned voters could influence local policymakers to transfer these national initiatives to Rockford with an informed advocate, such as the DNP scholar. The advocate starts by building a grassroots coalition of the voting public to endorse specific improvements to existing health policy. Next, prepare a health policy brief, then research and contact the policymakers to open discussion. The brief should specify the problem and current policy while providing a rationale for change that includes the impact of the health problem on the constituency. Harnessing the power of multiple voters increases the likelihood that those in power will actively consider a policy change. Social media, like Twitter, can be used to build this coalition. My suggested tweet is #HealthyPeople 2030, #Healthy Rockford! Improve our community step by step! Healthy People 2030 | Data & Statistics | DNPAO | CDC (Links to an external site.)

     Dr. Riley presented her case to Congressman Aiken just as recommended. The DNP scholar was prepared and researched the issue and her audience’s stance on healthcare access. Dr. Riley met with stakeholders to inform discussion with the congressman on the impacts and relevance of improving access to transportation in her community. Dr. Riley introduced herself as a concerned health professional and advocate, presented the pros and cons of the proposed clinic bill, and stated appreciation for partial gains while remaining open to future improvements. She was thankful and expressed her willingness to offer professional support on future projects.  Dr. Riley’s approach left Congressman Aiken with a positive memory of Dr. Riley, specifically, and the profession of nursing and nurse practitioners as collaborative partners in health policy. She could have provided a business card, including email in parting. A follow-up email thanking the congressman would support this memorable encounter.

References

American Heart Association. (2021). Five steps to control your blood pressure. Five Simple Steps to Control Your Blood Pressure | American Heart Association (Links to an external site.)

Centers for Disease Control and Health Prevention. (2021). Healthy People 2030: Indicators and objectives align with DNPAO’s work. Healthy People 2030 | Data & Statistics | DNPAO | CDC (Links to an external site.)

Chapel, J.M., Ritchey, M.D., Zhang, D., & Wang, G. (2017). Prevalence and medical costs of chronic diseases among adult Medicaid beneficiaries. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 53(6, S2), S143-S154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2017.07.019 (Links to an external site.)

Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. (2021). GBD Compare. GBD Compare | IHME Viz Hub (healthdata.org) (Links to an external site.)

Jakobsen, G.S., Smastuen, M.C., Sandbu, R., Nordstrand, N., Hofso, D, Lindberg, M., Hertel, J.K., & Hjelmesaeth, J. (2018). Association of bariatric surgery vs. medical obesity treatment with long-term medical complications and obesity-related comorbidities. JAMA 319(3), 291-301. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2017.21055 (Links to an external site.)

NYU Langone Health. (2021). City Health Dashboard: Rockford, Illinois. Rockford, IL – City Highlights | City Health Dashboard (Links to an external site.)

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2020). Naltrexone. Naltrexone | SAMHSA

I NEED A COMMENT FOR THIS DICUSSION BOARD WITH AT LEAST 2 PARAGRAPHS AND USE 3 SOURCES NO LATER THAN 5 YEARS